Treated biomasses are useful in a number of industries. One industry includes pulp production for products such as paper. Another use includes production of biofuels. Alternatives for petroleum are urgently needed since the worldwide oil depletion is approaching. Due to its abundant resources, lignocellulosic biomass such as woody biomass, corn stover and switch grass can be one of the promising candidates for bioethanol production to drastically reduce the dependence of transportation fuels on petroleum, as well as to decrease the green house gas emission.
Bioethanol converted from lignocellulosic biomass is a multistep process, in which pretreatment step accounts for the majority cost portion other than the power plant investment, as high as 19%. Biomass pretreatment refers to a step to disrupt the polysaccharide-lignin shield that limits the accessibility of enzymes to cellulose and hemicellulose, before enzymatic hydrolysis takes place.